Cooking in the Monster Sanctuary - Chapter 3 - Part 2

It was a strange question, completely out of context, as if to awkwardly steer the conversation away.

Because of Lin Yu’s confinement in the narrow space, warmth surrounded the young man. His wrist was enveloped in an unfamiliar softness, the fresh lemon scent unique to women pushing away the bitter smell of blood, intertwining around her nose.

Subconsciously, he felt that this gesture was too intimate, but all his strength had been drained away by pain, leaving him unable to resist.

As Lin Yu finished speaking, she released his hand with an unaffected expression. Taking a step back and pulling a sealed transparent cup from her canvas bag, saying, “I’m Lin Yu, and this is a gift for our first meeting.”

She opened the seal, and revealed the caramel pudding inside.

The food’s appearance was clear through the transparent cup.

The top layer was accompanied by a layer of cloud-like light cream in the middle was the amber-like, translucent deep brown caramel, and below that was the soft, round pudding itself, swaying slightly with her arm’s movement.

A plastic spoon was inserted directly into the bottom layer, and the crispy caramel broke lightly as the spoon touched it. She gathers the three layers of ingredients at the center of the spoon, ready to topple.

Lin Yu didn’t speak, and she handed the spoon to the young man’s lips.

It was truly an absurd scene.

The white walls and crimson blood contrasted in the background, the dim light was like muddy water, and the foul stench of decay permeated the room.

The young man weakly leaning against the wall, blood slid down his face, gathering into a stream that flowed down to the girl’s feet. Lin Yu paid no attention to any of it, squatting down, and feeding him a spoonful of pudding.

Instead of opening his mouth to accept it, he smiled meaningfully, “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

This was a question that often appeared in novels and movies.

The big villains always asked the protagonist this way, and after receiving answers like “You’re not a bad person, you definitely won’t hurt me,” their favorability rating would skyrocket.

But Lin Yu wasn’t interested in boosting favorability ratings, and she assumed this kid wouldn’t fall for that, so she answered according to her true feelings, “If you’re not good, I’ll knock you down.”

With that said, she almost rudely stuffed the pudding into his slightly open mouth.

The sweet scent quickly filled his mouth, causing the youth to slightly freeze. For some reason, he chuckled lightly. His attention shifted away from the residual pain in his body.

The cream had a peculiar texture, like soft foam. Upon contact with the mouth, it melted instantly, releasing a rich aroma.

The pudding was made of light cream, milk, eggs, and white sugar, and it was chilled. Upon the first touch with the tongue, the tender and smooth texture felt as light as flowing water. It crumbles gently between the lips and teeth with a delicate sip. It was as if ice cream was melting.

The flavors of milk, rich cream, and the unique bittersweet aroma of caramel filled the mouth. The blending of the caramel’s richness and the egg’s fragrance was intertwined with a hint of vanilla. It’s sweet yet not overwhelming, completely erasing any trace of the egg’s odor.

Without needing much chewing, the pudding naturally slid down the throat. Leaving a lingering, thick fragrance dancing on the taste buds, and spreading a delightful sweetness into the heart through the nerves of the mouth.

Unbeknownst to him, the young man felt a tiny bit of inexplicable happiness as well.

“Tasty, isn’t it?”

Lin Yu figured out that he couldn’t move, so she spoon-fed him pudding, and in a bored manner, she asked, “What’s your name?”

“…Chi Yu.”

It sounded like he hadn’t spoken those two words in a long time, his tone filled with hesitation.

“Why are you locked up here?”

The young man named Chi Yu didn’t respond.

After a while, he raised his eyes, murky light reflecting in his eyes. With a hoarse yet smiling voice, he softly told her, “I’m tired. I’ll tell you next time when you come. Before that, don’t die.”

Adding at the end, “I love sweets.”

He was hinting that she should bring dessert next time.

Lin Yu rarely found herself stumbling in confrontations with others. But this time, she was led by him and completely ended up in the passive role.

Although she was unwilling, she was unable to suppress her curiosity, so she reluctantly agreed, “Fine.”

“Until then, don’t die,” Chi Yu wiped away the bloodstains on his cheek with his hand, his tone leisurely, “The work of the special task force isn’t easy, little girl.”

Lin Yu glanced at the blood on the ground, “Let’s see who lives longer.”

*

Lin Yu returned home near dusk. Just as the telephone rang, she was placing a bowl of snow pear and white fungus sweet soup, which she had taken from the refrigerator onto the table.

She leaned back on the couch and glanced at the caller ID.

Chen Beici~

Members of the special task force were all elites skilled in various fields. Lin Yu relied on her physical prowess for her job, while the 24-year-old Chen Beici had exceptional talents in the field of network technology. He was responsible for information gathering and communication liaison.

With a relaxed gesture, Lin Yu pressed the answer key and heard the clear voice of the young man ringing in her ear, “Captain, new mission. Detailed information has been sent to your email.”

Whether due to a reversed sleep schedule or a love of sleep, Chen Beici seemed to be in a perpetual state of either drowsiness or lethargy, his voice sounded lazy, softer than the white fungus in the bowl.

She chuckled, “No problem. What’s the general situation?”

“The time is limited to tomorrow night, from six to eight. The location is the ‘Flower House’ club on the outskirts of the city. Worth mentioning is that I heard the target of this mission is a genuine angel.”

“An angel?”

After Lin Yu finished speaking, she swallowed a spoonful of sweet soup. The gelatinous ingredients, fully soaked, softened slightly. The delicate sweetness of the pear perfectly balanced the cloying sweetness of the rock sugar. The sticky white fungus, enveloped by the soup, slid down her throat, feeling as if her throat was being cleansed.

It was the taste of summer.

“Yeah.” Chen Beici yawned on the other end of the phone, his trailing voice becoming blurred, “An angel imprisoned in an underground club… Doesn’t that sound pretty cool?”